School Uniforms: The Pros and the Cons

The school year continues to pass as the Fall season is in full swing. Last month, many parents were in a hustle and bustle to buy their children school clothes. While some parents struggled and bought what they could, other parents turned it into a competition: buying the hottest clothes and name brands. The newest Air Jordan sneakers, Polo, Ed Hardy, and other hot and expensive brands. Facebook and Instagram turned into a two week fashion show for the school children.

This can often showcase the haves and have-nots, and also those who spend above their means just so their kids can keep up with the latest styles.

Now what if every school required uniforms? You would definitely cut down on shopping and other factors.

This topic drew lots of discussion and feedback on Facebook. It also prompted me to sharpen my research, as is often the case when I write. 

Here are some pros and cons to uniforms in school based on my findings:

Pros:

1. It will level the playing field for the have-nots, and not make them feel out of place for not wearing the latest brand or style.

2. Promotes unity and teamwork, as indicated through research and studies. Both genders could wear the same generic colors or styles, and learning would be placed back at the forefront. 

3. Bullying would lower in this area. Children have been persecuted for years because they didn't have nice clothes and shoes for school. Also, the ones that do are also targets. Jealous, mean children like to criticize and even try to steal clothing from more affluent children.

4. It is good preparation for the workplace. Many jobs not only enforce a dress code, they require some sort of uniform clothing.  Think about the corporations that only allow blue and black suits and pantsuits. Isn't that similar to uniforms?

Cons:

1. School uniforms can be pricy, often more than regular clothes.  You especially run into this problem with schools that have shirts with their logo and crest embroidered.  Possible isolation could still occur.

2. You could always have students that may not be able to afford a week's worth of uniform clothes, and still get bullied. And even if they could afford them, what if their clothes, or themselves were smelly? Also, even in schools that require simply generic white T-shirts and khakis, there's potential for problems. One kid could feel out of place if their khakis are old, faded, or aren't a top-notch brand.

3. School is an awesome vehicle for students to express themselves via fashion. Although they could still do so on the weekends and after school, they see most of their peers during school hours.

4. Everyone is not going to like the uniforms, parents and children alike. Schools run the risk of losing good, prominent students.

Overall, I believe uniforms could do more good than harm. The numbers are out there. Discipline and learning needs to go up, and bullying needs to decrease. Ensuring your school isn't a fashion show can be a great step forward. It can be as good as you can make it.

Every student should be given the equal opportunity to learn without distraction.  Those that care more about their attire than an education can quickly be identified.

Therefore, think twice and evaluate both sides before you think uniforms are best for your child, student and school. However, it can be worth a test drive or a trial run. Sometimes every experiment doesn't turn out bad, and change can be good and beneficial.